Late at night, the sky was clear with sparse stars, all serene.
In the courtyard, Xu Yang stood alone, bow in hand.
On the dirt wall ahead, a charcoal-drawn target bristled with densely packed arrows.
Another night's practice results.
"Thump!"
Xu Yang drew his bamboo bow, loosed his final arrow, and the bamboo shaft, with great force, pierced the earthy wall, dislodging the arrows already lodged in the target by the impact of its strength.
Impressive power!
Xu Yang was very satisfied with this and opened his Attribute Panel.
Xu Yang (Li Qing Shan)
Cultivation: None
Lifespan: 19/88
Skills:
Eating (Chewing, Digesting, Essence, Strengthening, Unblocking, Healing Diet)
Sleeping (Deep Sleep, Calming the Mind, Health Preservation, Body Strengthening)
Breathing (Turtle Breathing, Empowerment, Revitalizing, Essence Nourishment)
Butchering (Evil Qi, Unsheathing the Knife, Preservation)
Hunting (Mountain Dweller, Chasing the Wind, Acuity)
Artisan (Bow Making, Leatherworking, Toughness, Durability, Bamboo Crafts)
Archery (Hit a Willow Branch at 100 Yards, Three Stars Connected Beads, Running Shot)
Walking (Swift as Flying, Traversing Mountains and Ridges)
Hiding (Concealment, Concealing Presence)
Theft (Night Infiltration, Lock Picking)
Reading (Night Reading, Deciphering, Never Forget After Reading)
Knife Sharpening (Unparalleled Sharpness)
Chopping (Overwhelming Force)
...
Xu Yang noticed something, the difficulty of training skills in this world was much lower than in the real world. Merely three years of practice had yielded a collection of skills that matched the bulk of his twenty-seven years of hard work in reality. In addition, many high-quality four-character skill phrases had emerged.
Keep in mind, he had trained tirelessly for twenty-seven years in the real world, acquiring many skills and traits, yet only had two four-character phrases, which were Like a Fish in Water for swimming and Zhuang Zhou Dreams of a Butterfly for dreaming.
Yet in this world, in just three years, he had developed six or seven four-character phrases. Although none was as special as Zhuang Zhou Dreams of a Butterfly with its own effects, they surpassed Like a Fish in Water in quality.
Why was this the case?
Xu Yang did not know, nor did he dwell on it too much.
Without solid evidence to theorize, speculating further was meaningless. It was better to consider more practical matters.
What practical matters?
Of course, the significance of the newly added traits.
As the only skill supporting his main body, Eating had gained just one new trait—Healing Diet.
Healing Diet, as the name suggests, meant he could heal his body through diet. No matter if it was internal or external injuries or severe illnesses and toxins, as long as he ate enough of the right foods, he could eventually return to his original state, making it a powerful healing tool.
Breathing, Sleeping, and other skills remained mostly unchanged, their traits related mainly to strengthening the body and invigorating the blood and vitality. Paired with the Eating skill, in just three years, these had nurtured and trained Xu Yang's once frail youthful body into robust manliness.
In addition, skills like Butchering, Hunting, Bow Making, and Archery, which he had developed anew, also achieved excellent effects, helping Xu Yang gain a foothold in the village, even garnering attention from the Lu Family, and greatly improving his standard of living.
Now that he had a firm footing, it was time to plan for growth and to build and strengthen his position.
After finishing tonight's practice, Xu Yang turned and returned to his room, hanging the bow and arrow back on the wall, then pulled out a large box from under the bed.
He opened the box, filled with garments, and went straight to the bottom, drawing out a set of black clothing for night travel.
Xu Yang changed into the night attire, took out a dagger as well, securing it at his waist, and fully equipped, he then silently opened the door and left home.
Walking (Swift as Flying, Traversing Mountains and Ridges)
Hiding (Concealment, Concealing Presence)
Theft (Night Infiltration, Lock Picking)
Over three years, through playing with his younger siblings and daily activities, Xu Yang had developed three more skills.
The combined effect of these three skills gave him a tremendous advantage in his nighttime operations.
Under the velvety darkness of night, Xu Yang, dressed in black from head to toe, became like a fish taking to water, completely concealing his shape, footsteps, and breath. Ordinary villagers, afflicted with night blindness, let alone a martial artist with minor accomplishments and sharp senses, would find it extremely difficult to detect his presence and movements.
This was the combined effect of Concealment, Concealing Presence, and Night Infiltration.
A powerful ability to stay hidden!
Under the cover of night, Xu Yang moved as if flying, walking briskly. In the blink of an eye, he arrived outside the Lu Family estate.
By then, it was late, the Lu Family's gates were shut tight, and guards with dogs were on night patrol. Although not impenetrable, the defenses were more than enough to deter ordinary thieves from sneaking in.
However, Xu Yang had no trouble at all. He approached a corner of the wall, leaped up with a step on the bricks, and scaled the wall.
Qinggong?
No, Xu Yang didn't know any Qinggong. It was all the effect of the "Walking" skill traits.
Swift as Flying, Traversing Mountains and Ridges; the former greatly increased walking speed while the latter allowed overcoming a variety of terrains and obstacles. Not just the walls of a wealthy family's estate, even cliffs, steep mountains, and high ridges were as flat ground to Xu Yang.
Having scaled the wall, Xu Yang wasted no time and headed straight for the study.
As they say: no matter how vigilant you are, you cannot guard against a thief from within!
After all these years, Xu Yang knew the Lu Family's terrain, layout, and building distribution by heart.
Soon, he arrived at the study. Using the Lock Picking trait of the "Theft" skill, he silently unlocked the door, slipped inside, and in a short while, emerged with a backpack.
Afterwards, Xu Yang did not linger; carrying the backpack, he quickly left the Lu Family's residence.
...
Shortly thereafter, Xu Yang returned home, set down the backpack, removed his night attire, and lit a candle.
In the dim candlelight, Xu Yang opened the backpack, but inside were not gold or silver treasures, but bound volumes of books.